Possible Diorama Buildings...

[Super]

That El-Wire is pretty cool. Reminds me of Fiber Optics unless thats what it is. Do you know if it can be cut and are the two AA batteries in series (3volt) or parallel (1.5volt)? I ask because my first thought would be to not use a controller but wire up direct and hide an on/off switch if that would work. If the light source is the controller that idea wouldn't work but cutting to length would be a must.

Hurray!!! Nigels has a YouTube Channel

The wire is definitely cuttable, it states so in the various listings for it. As for whether it can be used without a controller I don't know to be honest, but to answer your other question the batteries are in series (i.e. 3v).

The lighting source itself is in the actual wire, apparently it is copper wire coated with a luminescent coating I assume you are effectively exciting the wire itself to produce some heat which in turn produces the lighting although having said that they don't seem to get hot.

Delivered they come with a pre-wired plug and socket on the controller and the end of the wire bundle, the other end of the wire has a clear protective cap. I'll see if I can investigate closer, but I can see numerous uses for this stuff

[Super]

I see they also have EL-Tape that works the same.

I see they also have EL-Tape that works the same.

They do indeed, although I've not gotten any yet so I can't report on how good it is. Could be good for building lighting if put into a recess or similar, seems there are lots of options out there

[Super]

seems there are lots of options out there

But only if they can be custom shortened easily

Its more a case of if they can be driven with just a battery if cut into pieces I would say. I need to have a look inside one of these 'driver' units to see what is in there, if its just a circuit to allow the flashing then no biggie, if its a case of it has a voltage converter to increase the voltage for example then its not so easy to use the items cut.

Of course for my use (lego) it doesn't necessarily matter if I have to use a long length, if it is a big building I can just build it into the wall and use translucent bricks at the points I want the illumination

Here's some interesting information on EL wire generally and the drivers that are needed to light them. It also mentions the potential pitfalls of shorter/longer lengths of wire than the driver is intended for. Good reading to understand the limits of the product

EL Wire Wiki

[Super]

Sure wish they could combine the flexibility of the El-Wire with the simplicity of the LED Fiber Optics for the perfect set up. Hmmm...I had bought some fiber optic to use in models a couple years ago and forgot all about it. Think I will dig that out again and add to my ever growing list of custom modifications. This is the fellow who turned me on to using the fiber optics to light a station platform imitating a long fluorescent tube. At the 1:27 mark you get a good view of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZfTcBrmVyY

So many options and so little time to play with them

Thanks for the info Super!

Ok, so here's my latest purchase/experiment - a sample of 'EL Tape' as opposed to the previous 'EL Wire'.

The difference is that instead of being a wire it is like a piece of tape about 1cm across. This one is light blue and is intended to be pushed into use to replace the 'blue tube' used on my Lego Millenium Falcon to simulate the engine. So instead of a blue tube I'll have this illuminated blue strip, whether I will cut it or bend it placing the folded tape in the space is up for grabs at the moment!

Enjoy!